Given this Libyan political reality, and the one in Somalia where there has been a power vacuum for some time that has led to various terrorist factions, including Al Qaeda, to have a safe haven for expansion, it would be interesting note other similar realities in the Middle East:

1. Iraq has had a power vacuum since Saddam was toppled over a decade ago. Just last week, more acts of terror cost more innocent lives. At the height of its power before the series of American wars against it starting in 1990 and Bush Sr.‘s declaration of a New World Order, Iraq had the 4th largest military only behind the U.S.

Iraq (Photo credit: The U.S. Army)

2. Afghanistan, although Karzai is still in charge, is still weakened by warring factions, including the Taliban

3. Egypt has a new, post-Morsi power vacuum, but really has been weak since Mubarak was ousted. Bloody Sunday of Oct 6, 2013, is graphic proof of the violence and division still ripping this once very stable and old nation where kingdoms and the persecuted used to escape to in ancient times.

4. Tunisia lost strength since the so-called “Arab Spring” started there nearly 3 years ago in Dec 2010. A new coalition government plan was announced last week which is a sign that Tunisia has been wounded by the new political reality there

English: Middle East (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

5. Syria has had to give up its chemical weapon cache for no justifiable reason (only threats of force from the West but all the evidence pointed to the rebels being behind the attack). Threats of military actions against Syria are still on the table, which limits Syrian diplomacy abroad and economic opportunities.

6. Iran, which has not waged war against another nation since the 1800s and has not produced a nuclear weapon despite threats from Israel and the U.S., has been weakened by excessive sanctions. Its diplomatic efforts are also very limited, though the new rapprochement with warming relations has limited the decline of Iranian diplomatic influence. Time will tell how this plays out.

Clearly, this general pattern of intrigue in Middle Eastern and Islamic African countries is showing to not be random but deliberately planned. The most unfortunate part of all of this is the threat to innocent lives, and the lives already lost to drone attacks, casualties of wars, and terrorist attacks. May the Lord God heal this troubled region, and the world at large.

Satellite image of Africa, showing the ecological break that defines the sub-Saharan area (Photo credit: Wikipedia)